Tour de France - Omar Fraile: This is the biggest thing you can achieve

Jul 22 2018 12:24 am CET

Photo of Omar Fraile by Astana Pro Team

Omar Fraile attacked at the right moment to take his first ever stage win at the Tour de France on Saturday.

The Astana rider launched his attack at the start of the final climb and caught lone leader Jasper Stuyven shortly before the summit, after which the last few kilometers were a matter of defending the lead on the descent.

"It's incredible for me," said the Spaniard. "We were dreaming of this victory. We've worked very hard and we finally we've done it. An incredible day. I could not imagine it.

"There was a lot of head-wind and I knew that Stuyven was spending a lot of energy on his own. That's why, just as the climb started, I had good legs and I wanted to try from the bottom. I went alone and in the end I reached and surpassed him at 500 meters from the top. And then it was just downhill.

"It's the biggest victory I've achieved until now. It's incredible to win in the Tour. I think it's the biggest thing you can achieve."

Even though Fraile and his team knew everything there was to know about the climb, it is always hard to prepare for these exact circumstances.

We studied the climb very well and we knew it well from other races, but it seemed a lot longer than other times," he joked.